CC BY-SA 2.0 · Mikel Ortega from Errenteria, Basque Country, Spain, with a retouche by Richard Bartz . See the original file here. · source
Quick Facts
- Type
- Mammal
- Size
- 1.4–1.8 m at shoulder
- Weight
- 380–1,000 kg
- Habitat
- Grassland, meadow, and pasture; domesticated worldwide
- Diet
- Herbivore — grass, hay, grain
- Active Time
- Diurnal, grazing during the day
- Lifespan
- 25–30 years
Field Notes
- Horses can sleep both standing up and lying down — they lock their legs to doze upright.
- A horse's teeth never stop growing; their age can be estimated by examining tooth wear.
- Horses have the largest eyes of any land mammal, providing nearly 360-degree vision.
About the Horse
The domestic horse (Equus ferus caballus) was first tamed on the Eurasian steppes around 5,500 years ago and revolutionised human civilisation through transport, agriculture, and warfare. Horses are adapted for fast sustained running across open grasslands, with a single toe (hoof) per leg for efficient locomotion. They are highly social herd animals with excellent memory and the ability to read human body language. Today approximately 60 million domestic horses exist globally, used in sport, recreation, therapy, and limited agricultural work.
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